Typical portable dock plates are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,829,390 and 2,880,431 issued Apr. 8, 1958 and Apr. 7, 1959, respectively. These dock plates normally span the area between a loading dock and a truck or railroad car adjacent the dock. Such dock plates are of heavy construction and must be moved periodically as various vehicles are loaded or unloaded.
These heavy dock plates have been adapted for portable operation through the use of wheel assemblies and operating handles, as generally exemplified by the above two patents. One of the shortcomings of the prior art dock plates is that the great weight of the plates imposes substantial leverage on the operating handle when the plate is in its portable position. As a result, rapid rotational movement is imposed on the handle if the handle is inadvertently released by the operator while the dock is in its portable position. This phenomenon invites injury to persons operating around the dock plate.
Further, the handles of prior dock plates are not centrally located so as to give the operator efficient control over the movement and manipulation of the dock plate. Further, the handles of the prior art devices often interfere with the operation of the dock plate when the dock plate is in its nonportable operative position.
The device of this invention provides a portable dock plate which is easy to operate and which is very safe to use. The safety of the device of this invention is enhanced by the use of a shock absorber or dampener in conjunction with the wheel assembly which retards the movement of the wheel assembly from the portable to a nonportable position.
The handle device used on the instant dock plate is of a special configuration to permit the operator to be centrally located with respect to the plate when it is being moved so as to give him efficient control over the unit during the moving and manipulative functions. Further, the handle of the device of this invention can be easily removed from the unit or moved to an out-of-the way position.
The foregoing and other objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.